Margaret McKean & Sarel Petrus

Location: 18 Silvela Road, Sandown Estate, JohannesburgStart Time: 15:00Date: 2017-03-04Duration: Opening Saturday 4 March 2017 15:00,
and any other time, by appointment, until end 22 March 2017.

Paintings and Drawings from the Past

Throughout the years McKean has focused on the female figure rooted in the landscape she grows from. “They tend to become part of that landscape and by being part of the landscape the figures seem to be almost caught by the landscape”. Captured in bold colours and sensitive shading, the figures resemble attributes of the Willendorf Venus and the primordial Earth Mother. “They have potential, fertility potential.”

More, the fact that these figures are ‘caught’ in the landscape, renders them vulnerable, a notion emphasised by lurking wild animals and even animals of prey in the background. Some of the figures are robed in animal skin which points to a precarious position of being hunter as well as the hunted. This tension is echoed in the strong sculptural element and 3D quality of McKean’s work, creating a sense of depth on the flat surface of paper and canvas.